Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Photoshop Express Photo Editor vs Canva

Photoshop Express Photo Editor 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Canva
Canva 4.9★ · Free + IAP 75

Canva is generally preferred for its ease of use and vast template library, making it suitable for a wider range of design tasks, while Photoshop Express is better for quick, specific photo edits, though both face significant user frustration regarding their free vs. paid features.

Full reviews: Photoshop Express Photo Editor · Canva

Canva, with its higher lifetime rating and larger user base, edges out Photoshop Express due to its broader design capabilities and user-friendliness for various projects, despite both apps receiving criticism for aggressive premium paywalls and occasional technical issues. Photoshop Express is strong for photo editing, but its recent updates have alienated many users by moving previously free features behind a subscription.

Head to head

Features and Capabilities edge: CanvaR3R8R9R10
Photoshop Express Photo Editor Photoshop Express is praised for its photo editing tools and creative options, with some users finding it excellent for quick edits and offering various tools even in the free version R8. However, many users express frustration with the app's shift towards generative AI, making manual editing difficult, and the removal of previously free or crucial features like 'Combine Photos' R9R10. Some also note that the free options are rudimentary compared to other apps R3.
Canva Canva is highly regarded for its extensive templates, video editing capabilities, and suitability for various design tasks, including social media content, invitations, and presentations . Users appreciate its ability to foster creativity without needing advanced graphic design skills . However, some find its art tools limited, especially for brush and spray effects, and its video editor is criticized for being slow, glitchy, and frustrating .
Ease of Use tieR2R7R31R36
Photoshop Express Photo Editor Many users find Photoshop Express intuitive and easy to use for quick edits, appreciating its straightforward interface and one-button editing options R2. However, some newer features, particularly AI-driven ones, are not considered intelligent or user-friendly R7R31. The app's UI is also criticized for being cluttered with promotional content rather than settings R36.
Canva Canva is praised for its simplicity and ease of navigation, with many users finding it easy to learn through trial and error, even for those without graphic design skills R83. However, a significant number of users find Canva unintuitive and difficult for beginners, requiring courses to master, and less user-friendly on mobile devices R64R75R76.
Reliability and Performance tieR1R6R12R16
Photoshop Express Photo Editor Photoshop Express users report frequent issues with the app crashing, freezing, and losing work, particularly when saving edits or importing photos R1R6R16. Some also experience problems with fonts not downloading or disappearing R12R21. Despite these issues, some users note vastly improved performance in recent versions .
Canva Canva also suffers from reliability issues, with users experiencing lag, glitches, white screens, and projects disappearing . Some users report being unable to log in or having their accounts deleted .
Price and Value (Free vs. Paid) tieR4R13R18R19
Photoshop Express Photo Editor Photoshop Express users are highly critical of the app's shift to a subscription model, with many previously free features now behind a paywall R4R13R18R19. The free version is seen as very limited, often forcing users to pay for basic functions or leaving a watermark R28. Some paid users also feel the premium features don't offer enough value compared to cheaper alternatives .
Canva Canva also faces significant criticism for its aggressive paywall, with many users feeling forced to pay for premium features to use the app properly R76. The free version is considered very limited, and the app constantly pushes subscriptions . Users also report issues with misleading free trials and unexpected charges R70R119.
Customer Support tieR6R12R21R27
Photoshop Express Photo Editor Reviews for Photoshop Express do not explicitly mention customer support, but users express frustration over unaddressed bugs and issues, implying a lack of effective support or responsiveness from Adobe R6R12R21R27.
Canva Canva users report significant issues with customer service, particularly regarding refunds and subscription cancellations, with some stating there is no customer service to contact R70R119.
Pick Photoshop Express Photo Editor if

You need a dedicated photo editor for quick, specific adjustments and filters, and are willing to pay for a subscription to access advanced features R8. You are already familiar with the Adobe ecosystem and prefer its editing style .

Pick Canva if

You need a versatile design tool for a wide range of content creation, including social media posts, invitations, and presentations, and value a large library of templates . You are comfortable with a learning curve or are willing to invest time in understanding its functionalities, especially for more complex projects R75.

Evidence note: Both apps have a strong free-vs-paid asymmetry. Many negative reviews for both Photoshop Express and Canva stem from users frustrated by features being moved behind paywalls or aggressive subscription pushes. This makes it challenging to compare the 'free' experience directly, as both free tiers are heavily criticized for being limited. The lifetime ratings are high for both, but recent reviews show a downward trend in user satisfaction due to these monetization strategies.

Frequently asked

Is Photoshop Express truly free?
Photoshop Express offers a free version, but many previously free features are now locked behind a paid subscription, and the free version often includes a watermark on saved photos R13R19R25R28.
Is Canva good for beginners?
While many users find Canva easy to learn and navigate, especially for basic tasks, a significant number of beginners find it unintuitive and difficult to use without taking courses to understand its functionalities R64R75R76R83.
Do these apps have good customer support?
Reviews suggest that customer support for both apps is a point of frustration; Photoshop Express users report unaddressed bugs, while Canva users specifically mention difficulties with refunds and contacting customer service R6R27R70R119.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R3] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 3/5 · US Not as good as other free AI: Very rudimentary free options. There are so many other better free apps out there now
  2. [R8] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 5/5 · US Best App Ever!: I love this app it does everything I need. I highly recommend!!!!
  3. [R9] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 3/5 · US Useful, but god they’re really pushing their AI on me.: I wish there was an option to just turn it all off so I don’t even see it on the UI. I don’t need it! I’ve been photoshopping for years! I have all the skills needed and don’t want slop bugging up my images!
  4. [R10] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 2/5 · US Used to be so much better.: It used to be just like photoshop where you could make any change you wanted. Now, everything is generative AI and it’s hard to do anything manually and actually make it your own work. Subscribed and immediately unsubscribed. It’s time to stop with the AI and let people make their own stuff again.
  5. [R2] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 4/5 · US Highly Intuitive: That’s my review. Lots of buttons too.
  6. [R7] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 2/5 · US AI issues: One would expect the AI to be more intelligent. The results were less than satisfactory.
  7. [R31] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 1/5 · US Not user friendly!: Trying to simply remove an object in a photo but there is no explanation no guidance nothing! Cannot remove the image 😡
  8. [R36] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 3/5 · GB A bit messy: There are a few surprises here. 1. It doesn't seem to be have been built for iPad. It has one of those cross-platform UIs. 2. It's full of nonsense instead of settings. Things like "follow us on Instagram", "Rate the app", "what's new", "highlights". All in Settings. Also "share", "help us improve"... it goes on. As for its core functionality, it's nothing special. Photomator is pr
  9. [R1] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 1/5 · US Doesn’t work: It undoes all my work with the fakest adjustments that can’t be undone even though they were just done. Ruining hours of tedious work.
  10. [R6] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 3/5 · US Glitchy when importing direct from iPhoto to PSE: Photos for collage will import to PSE directly from iPhoto but will show up in PSE rotated. Very frustrating to have to go into each photo within PSE - edit - crop - rotate. Please fix this.
  11. [R12] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 3/5 · US Fonts won’t download: Please fix.
  12. [R16] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 2/5 · US Crash: To pay for this app and have it crash half the time is ridiculous. Perform all these edits and it says error saving then crashes. All work lost.
  13. [R4] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 1/5 · US Money grab and bad tools: Don’t bother using this app if you arnt going to buy a subscription. Even with the subscription, the tools are very finicky and don’t deliver good results just mid. Very frustrating. Also be careful if you buy a subscription because they might try to charge you $100+ for canceling, completely motivated by making an extra buck where they can
  14. [R13] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 1/5 · US Terrible: This used to be my go to app for photo editing until they updated everything to require a paid subscription, features that I used to use that used to be free are now paid features
  15. [R18] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 3/5 · US Don’t want to pay for pro: Photoshop as an app is incredible for photo editing. However, I think that the free version is too limited and if there’s only so many things you can do why do any at all? That is my only complaint, as the app is very efficient.
  16. [R19] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 1/5 · US This is not a free app: I used to ma kb e the most basic changes for free, but now everything is under premium, which requires a subscription.
  17. [R21] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 3/5 · US Where are my fonts: I’ve been using this app for a couple of years. I absolutely love it. So much, I even subscribed. But now my fonts are missing. Just a turning arrow where the fonts should be. Not happy with this.
  18. [R27] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 3/5 · US App has been broken for weeks: Pretty nifty app with decent capabilities, but it’s been broken for weeks on iPhone and iPad. App freezes and fully seizes up upon launching it. Still no bug fixes or patches somehow. You’d think Adobe would be more on top of stuff like this.
  19. [R25] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 2/5 · US Not bad, but…: Almost everything is paid. I had this app for years and suddenly many features are premium. I used to get premium once in a while for certain edits, but now there’s almost nothing I can do without premium, and it’s very pricey. Probably works well if you’re a photographer and earn money by using this, otherwise, not so good. Adobe, we have enough subscriptions!
  20. [R28] Photoshop Express Photo Editor 1/5 · US Watermark: upset and disappointed. I loved the app and use it several times/day. I cannot use it with the logo watermark on it. To remove it you are forced to pay a very high subscription. A once loved app, now forced to look elsewhere
  21. [R64] Canva 1/5 · US Not intuitive! Very hard for beginners: Canva is very hard to use if you are not an expert! It’s not intuitive. It’s very difficult to navigate. I would not recommend unless you take their courses to understand how to be an expert at using the app.
  22. [R75] Canva 3/5 · US Meh: This app is NOT intuitive or user friendly. I'm highly experienced in Adobe Creative Suite, which takes courses and time to learn, and this app has taken MUCH longer for me to get the hang of with less functionality.
  23. [R76] Canva 2/5 · US Meh: Very few options on the free version. Paid versions too expensive for a casual user. Not very user friendly on iphone…have to click everywhere and hunt around for tools and options.
  24. [R83] Canva 5/5 · US An app for All ages!: Easy to Learn by Trial & Error
  25. [R70] Canva 1/5 · US GREEDY THIEVES!: claimed a FREE 14 day trial, got charged full price immediately. at the end of the TRIAL, i was charged full price AGAIN. they refuse to refund because my subscription is through apple and not canva directly. I’ve been supporting this app for YEARS when it was $7/month back in 2020 and the downhill this app has taken is despicable honestly. i will NEVER support this app ever again
  26. [R119] Canva 1/5 · GB I want a refund: I am fuming, regardless of cancelling my subscription way before my free trail finished due me not getting the use out of it, the company has not only taken a payment but they have charged me for a business package which is a higher premium. I want a refund but there is no customer service to contact.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store